Heartbeats
by lucydeleche
Summary: The Siege of Ba Sing Se was supposed to be the Dragon of the West's greatest triumph. Instead it was the site of his greatest regret. One shot of the day Lu Ten died.


**I just finished rewatching the "Tales of Ba Sing Se." It's legit one of my favorite episodes, and the "Tale of Iroh" always gets me weepy. I was inspired, and so I quickly ran to my computer and typed up this little one shot. I am rather happy with this. The only thing I'm a little iffy about is whether or not I made Lu Ten too young. See, the series never really says (correct me if I'm wrong), so this is how I imagined Lu Ten to be. And this is how I envisioned the father-son dynamic to be. **

**DISCLAIMER: Me owneth Avatar? No.**

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><p><em>Everything that happened that day could be described in terms of heartbeats. <em>

_In a heartbeat, the great wall of Ba Sing Se fell. _

After 600 days of relentless attacks, the wall finally collapsed to reveal a gaping hole. The wearing away had been tedious, but the final product, the actual surrendering of the wall to the force of gravity, had been too fleeting for Iroh to consider it a complete victory. True victory still eluded his grasp, but just barely. When the Earth King bowed down on his knees, when the Fire Nation insignia hung over the remains of Ba Sing Se, when the city was burned to the ground; that was when Iroh would be satisfied.

_In a heartbeat, his men charged out, uttering their war cries. _

Iroh grabbed his son's arm. "Lu Ten, I know you are eager to join the front lines, but you must stay behind and lead the troops here. They will need your help in case earth bender reinforcements come."

Lu Ten shrugged off Iroh's hand angrily. "Father, I am no longer a child. I celebrated my nineteenth birthday a week ago. Please don't hold me back any longer."

"But you are not yet ready!" Iroh was in aghast. How could he send his son, still so young, straight into enemy territory? It had been a mistake bringing the boy along in the first place. In a heartbeat, the great Dragon of the West was reduced to a mere concerned parent.

"This is bigger than just you and me. The entire Fire Nation is counting on everyone here today to conquer Ba Sing Se. I can't just sit back like a coward!"

"Listen to me, Lu Ten! Sometimes the bravest thing a man can do is admit he is not invincible. Do not make me regret making you a soldier."

Lu Ten heard the finality in his father's words. His shoulders slumped in defeat. When he finally spoke, his voice was bitter but composed.

"As you wish, father. I will make you proud."

_In a heartbeat, he snuffed out a life. _

The enemy had been an earth bender. He had charged directly at Iroh, manipulating the earth around him into daggers. One came perilously close to hitting its target, but Iroh dodged it and counterattacked with a fistful of flames. As the enemy fell to the ground, his helmet was blasted off by the force of Iroh's attack. A chill ran down Iroh's back as he looked into the eyes of the dead man –the dead boy really. He couldn't have been much older than Lu Ten. In the back of his mind Iroh worried about his son, and prayed to the spirits that he was safe.

_In a heartbeat, he was ambushed. _

Iroh was at the steps of the Earth Kingdom palace. Dozens upon dozens of enemy soldiers surrounded him, trapping him within an unbreakable circle. A previous soldier had already wounded him with an arrow. His reinforcements lay on the ground, not breathing. Iroh had closed his eyes, readying himself. He was the Dragon of the West. He would never retreat without a fight.

As he fought, fire clashing with rock and arrow and sword, he saw out of the corner of his eye the figure of a boy bordering on manhood. With a war cry, Lu Ten jumped into the circle, sending back the enemy with fire blasts. A mix of emotions hit Iroh at once: surprise, anger, relief. Lu Ten joined up with his father, his eyes determined but devoid of any apology. Together, father and son began to fight.

Lu Ten punched and kicked his way through the enemy's defenses, supporting his father whenever possible. Each burst of fire he sent out of his palm hit the enemy with scary precision. Dead bodies accumulated on the floor. Slowly, but surely, they were winning.

Iroh could see now that his parental concern had clouded his judgment. He had been acting like a father when he should've been acting like a general. The reason why he had brought Lu Ten to the war front at the ripe age of eighteen was simple; the boy was a prodigy. His son could rival his finest soldiers, some who were twenty years his senior. All that time, he had been wasting his son's talents.

Then one of the soldiers, an earth bender, snuck up on Iroh. Iroh was busy battling six soldiers at once, and his guard slipped for a fraction of a second. That was all the earth bender needed. With a sweeping motion, the earth bender sent a ripple of earth in Iroh's direction. Iroh looked up just as the boulder struck Lu Ten squarely in the chest.

_In a heartbeat, he saw his son fall to the ground. _

In a roar of rage, the Dragon of the West unleashed his full fury. Fire exploded out of him, the deadly flames fueled by his grief. Flashes of orange lit the dead men's faces. New men lay down to join them. When every last man had fallen, the Dragon of the West stood in the center of the carnage, tears streaming down his face.

He ran to his beloved son's side. "Someone get a healer!" His hands clasped around his son's fingers. They were too cold.

Lu Ten took a gasping breath as he tried to speak. He coughed instead, the blood running down his throat.

"Did… did I make you proud, father?"

Iroh smiled through his tears. He brought his son's hands to his lips and kissed them.

"The proudest."

_In a heartbeat, his son closed his eyes. _

_In a heartbeat, Iroh lost everything. _

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><p><strong>What do you think? Believable? I love constructive criticism you know. It helps me improve!<strong>


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